Business as usual for ticket scalpers
Business as usual for ticket scalpers
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Sendi, 29, jumps off his seat and approaches a would-be passenger
at the Gambir train station, Central Jakarta. He speaks gently,
"Looking for tickets? Where are you going? Semarang, Surabaya?
I've got plenty".
"I've been a ticket scalper for around a year since I got
fired from a restaurant. I have many friends who happen to be
ticket scalpers here. So they helped me become one," Sendi told
The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The father of two admitted that being a ticket scalper did not
pay much. "I'm unemployed and broke. I'm just trying to pay the
bills and the family's needs, especially for my one-month-old
baby," he said.
Sendi sells tickets 50 to 100 percent higher than the official
prices.
"I have earned Rp 200,000 (US$23.52) in profit this month. I
had to pay joki (people helping scalpers by queuing) Rp 50,000
each and extra money to security guards," he said, saying that
the guards were also scalpers too.
"I can't really tell you if there are any insiders helping
scalpers. But the security guards are definitely my good
friends," he said smiling.
Sendi said there were numerous ticket scalpers in Gambir.
"Maybe there are more scalpers than passengers," Sendi said,
without providing a specific figure. "The competition is quite
stiff here but they're my friends. It's just a matter of luck and
healthy competition."
The new online system of train ticket reservation, which
started operating in November, allows would-be passengers to
obtain tickets from seven train stations in Jakarta and its
surrounding areas 30 days before departure. Previously, tickets
could only be reserved at Juanda rail station, Central Jakarta,
seven days before departure.
For scalpers this means a waiting period before they can
resell their tickets. "I don't know. Some of my friends said the
new system made their money stay idle longer. It also produces
longer uncertainty about the tickets getting sold," said Sendi.
Sendi purchased eight tickets on Nov. 2 with the help of three
joki, to avoid the policy whereby people who buy four tickets
will only be issued one ticket paper. This is intended to deter
ticket scalpers as it makes reselling the tickets complicated.
Asked whether he was afraid of being caught, especially with
state-run train operator PT KAI offering a Rp 200,000 reward to
anyone who manages to catch scalpers, Sendi drew a deep breath.
"I don't know. I can run or whatever. But my friends told me
to be cautious with the ones I offer tickets to. I don't offer
tickets to just anyone now," he said.
The Gambir train station displays banners saying "Free of
ticket scalpers area" and additional security guards have been
deployed within the station and also, its immediate vicinity. But
these measures seem to be having little effect.
Head of the station, Besar Susmiarto, admitted that it was
impossible to combat ticket scalpers.
"They've been around for a long time. What I can do is limit
their working area and put them in order. They can't blatantly
sell tickets near the counters now.
"We also have to understand the relationships between them and
the security guards. They're most likely friends," he told the
Post.